Columbia Basin Roller Derby wins first bout

YAKIMA - The Wine Country Crushers had no idea what Columbia Basin Roller Derby (CBRD) was going to bring to the game.

The Columbia Basin derby girls barely knew.

It was their second game of the season, and their first career win.

The team was formed early last year as the Devil's Angels. Later in the year, the team created the CBRD league, forming a platform for an area roller derby community that could include youth and men's leagues.

The team is facing regional reams as 'fresh meat' as they begin competing in official bouts. They are playing each opponent for the first time. They were unsure how well they would do against the Yakima Valley team, who are in their third year of league play.

CBRD took an early lead and held steady by about 40 points for most of the game, until a Crusher took a power jam to the maximum 25 points, putting Yakima only 10 points behind in the middle of the second half.

CBRD Kathleen 'Mean Kitty' answered with two strong jams, avoiding a comeback by the Crushers and regaining a 40 point lead by the final seconds of the bout, and ending with a winning score of 164 - 128.

Valerie 'Ginja Ninja' said as a team they can improve on everything since it was only their second game, but said it felt "awesome" and "exhilarating" to win.

Head Coach Jason Michelbook, Moses Lake, agreed. "Still have a lot to learn, but it's our first win and so it's good," he said.